“Write down on a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you, for the days are certainly coming when I will restore the fortunes of My people.” - Jeremiah 30:2-3, HCBS
Jeremiah’s record is the story of apostasy and abandonment, disobedience and disaster, ruination and restoration. The weeping prophet forewarns the siege of Jerusalem while those around him assure safety. He foretells the yoke of Babylon that will hang around the nations’ neck, though others prophesy peace. He foresees the ransacking of Solomon’s Temple though the people chant “The Temple of the Lord” for their protection. He even forecasts the fall of the mighty Babylon and restoration of the remnant although all hope is shattered.
This album is Jeremiah’s record, the musical account of his people's pursuits as they discover the hardship that arrives after the departure of their God. The 12 vocal tracks follow the prophet’s unique perspective, the words spoken to Jeremiah from the Lord that bring context to the historical account. Hear in these recordings more than just a narrative of the events of Jeremiah’s day, but feel the joy that departs, the unsettled grief and sickened heart of the Maker who reshapes his prized jar for another purpose. Now That I’m Gone: The Jeremiah Record unfolds with regular musical releases that bring the story home to a modern generation of listeners. Get ready to break the rules with prominent tritones, minor seconds, motion in fifths, modal mixture, 7/4 time and more.
Now That I’m Gone
"Now that the sky has turned to night...now that the signs are drawing nigh...now that the ram's horn sounded one last cry...now that I'm gone." These unsettling words were penned one cold morning last winter. Feeling under the weather, I picked up my guitar for some warmth and inspiration. As the strings began to vibrate, I noticed they were between two tunings I often use: Eb-Ab-Db-Eb-Bb-Eb. Rather than re-tune the instrument, I started strumming to see what voicings I could come up with. The chords of the refrain came immediately. I opened up the book of Jeremiah where Pastor Mat Shockney was preaching, and the lyrics began writing themselves....
The inaugural title track of The Jeremiah Record begins with a series of rhetorical questions and ends in stark judgement with a surprise promise only realized at album's end. Nestled in the middle is the dual discovery that is Jeremiah’s record: the people are found out to be reveling in apostasy, but soon bemoan the estrangement with its toilsome wages. Now That I'm Gone sets the stage for the rest of the album, where refusing to serve the Lord means learning to serve a foreign king. [Jer. 2-10]
Turn Away from Me
The initial three vocal tracks function as movements within a greater form, the middle piece drawing its inspiration from the first of Jeremiah's five laments. It features a simple repetitive, yet changing chorus line following the sorrowful news of the city and its fallen warriors.
This song is the first of several to regard the widow's plight. It also regards the messenger’s motives, finding no delight as the harbinger of death, but becoming the weeping prophet. Musical imagery abounds as the violin represents the wandering sorrow of the prophet, the sparse piano strikes the unrelenting passage of time, the acoustic guitar is the constant voice of the messenger from beginning to end, and the driving toms and arpeggiator signal the call to siege as the people turn away. [Lam. 1, Jer. 8]
Where the Wise...
The closing movement of the opening trilogy is the most technical music and harshest lyric. The music itself delivers a message alongside the lyric, as instrument choices shift from dire warning to pronounced judgement mid-verse. The chorus reflects a modernized four-horsemen-western feel and the bridge pulsates the frantic helplessness of impending doom.
Jeremiah's record is an indictment against self sufficiency. "The wise...the strong...the wealthy must not boast in...his wisdom...his strength...his wealth... but that he understands and knows ME, that I AM Yahweh..." (9:23-24). This theme is uncovered in every spin of the record, but nowhere as prominent as the shadowy figure of death confounding wisdom, sapping strength and denying riches. The ending death chant takes on several different tones throughout the record from indifference to desolation to earnestness. [Jer. 4, 9]
Released 26 September 2014, Rosh Hashanah, 5775 by fxrecords.
All songs written by Mac. Based on an fxchurch sermon series by Mat Shockney.
fxband is Mac on vocals, guitars, glockenspiel, synth and drum programming, Madalyn Parnas on violin, and Daniel Lin on piano.
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Mac. Assistant engineering by Bray Snyder. Recorded live at Ford-Crawford Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. Additional recording at Diamond Head Studio and Casasnyder Studio.
Management and photography by Trevor Kirtman. Cover art by Mac. Cover photography by Dwainsco.
℗ & © 2014 fxchurch, all rights reserved.
